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9/19/12

Each team in the Atlantic Division has seen its fair share
of roster changes, with the rebranded Brooklyn Nets leading the charge. How do
the roster changes affect the depth charts and distribution of minutes?Let’s take a look:

Brooklyn Nets

Position

Player

Player

Player

Player

C

B. Lopez

R. Evans

PF

K. Humphries

A. Blatche

M. Teletovic

SF

G. Wallace

J. Childress

SG

J. Johnson

M. Brooks

K. Bogans

PG

D Williams

C.J. Watson

The Nets have re-upped Brook Lopez and traded for Joe
Johnson.Their starting line-up is as
set as any team in the Atlantic.Lopez
should get back to producing for fantasy GMs and could get back to his 2010-11
form.Wallace has always been a steady
fantasy player and can be a strong and reliable mid-round pick.

Deron Williams should see a boost in his assist
average.He will be running the best
line-up that he has had his entire career this up-coming season.Watch out for second year player Marshon
Brooks.His minutes have been hampered
by the arrival of Johnson and his production and growth may be affected.

Humphries will always be a good source of rebounds.However, the Nets have recently signed Andray
Blatche and, if Blatche can get back to his old form of 16ppg and 8rpg then
Humphries may see a decline in minutes.

The Sixers made a significant trade that had Andre Iguodala
leaving and Andrew Bynum coming in.Bynum instantly becomes the best player on this roster.His production value in L.A. was regarded as
a sure-fire #1 center option and should stay the same in Philadelphia.

Jrue Holiday took a step back in his progress last season
and was, at times over shadowed by back-up guard Lou Williams.Look for Jrue to have a better year of
production and get back to being a reliable guard option in the league.

Second year player, Evan Turner, still has many question
marks surrounding his value and role.He
was touted as a great versatile and big-bodied guard who can handle the
ball.Look for Turner to receive a
larger role in the offense with Iguodala out of the picture.If he proves the doubters wrong, he could be
a solid stat line stuffer.

A good battle should come out at the power forward position
between Spencer Hawes and Thad Young.Doug
Collins has suggested that he likes the pairing of Hawes and Bynum to start the
season.However, Young has been vocal
about his desire to start.Young has the
talent but has lacked consistency at times.I’d definitely take a chance on him for his rebounding in the mid to
late rounds.

Sure bets: Bynum
(early), Holiday (mid)

Sleepers: Turner,
Young, Richardson, Wright

Pass on: Young,
Ivey, Brown

Boston Celtics

Positions

Players

Players

Players

Players

C

K. Garnett

J. Collins

PF

B. Bass

J. Sullinger

SF

P. Pierce

J. Green

SG

A. Bradley

J Terry

PG

R. Rondo

A. Bradley

The aging Celtics have off-loaded one hall of fame guard, in
Ray Allen, for another.As Jason terry
comes to this team, he will fill the void left by Allen’s departure.Terry has been a career 6th man
with Dallas and should see the same type of minutes in Boston.

Avery Bradley has improved significantly with this team and his
defensive abilities should get him back into the starting line-up once he comes
back from injury.

Garnett and Pierce will both need plenty of rest throughout
the season and Rivers may push the younger Celtics a little harder this
season.Sullinger will surely get a
chance to show what he has got with a thin Celtic frontcourt.

Look at Jeff Green as a solid sleeper option.He should be fully healed and ready to show
the Celtics that they can invest in him for their future.He can hit the long ball and also get a
decent amount of rebounds.Folks may
pass on Green due to his absence for an entire season and for the fact that he
is playing behind Paul, but the Celtics will heavily depend on him to bolster
the second unit and also give Pierce some much needed rest.

The Knicks have a similar situation with their starting
lineups as the Nets.Chandler,
Stoudamire, Anthony, Felton are all but locks to start.The real question mark on this team is at the
shooting guard position.

J.R. Smith has always been a decent source for threes and
points but this season, he has a real chance to be productive.He has the potential to be a legit sleeper
and late round steal.However, Iman
Shumpert is sure to give him a run for his money once he is fully healed from
knee surgery.

It would have to be advised to pass on Jason Kidd this
upcoming season.Kidd struggled last
season as the starter for Dallas.He is
on the serious decline and all signs point to his best days being behind him.

Raymond Felton should get some fantasy players decent
assists and points this upcoming season.His previous tenure in New York had him producing at high rates.However, Felton does come with a warning: his
fitness level came in to question in Portland.It would be beneficial to see what type of shape Felton shows up to camp
with.

Sure bets:
Anthony (early), Stoudamire (early), Chandler (early)

Sleepers: Felton,
Smith, Shumpert

Pass on: Kidd,
Thomas, Brewer

Toronto Raptors

Position

Player

Player

Player

Player

C

A. Gray

J. Valenciunas

PF

A. Bargnani

A. Johnson

E. Davis

Q. Acy

SF

D. DeRozan

D. McGuire

SG

L. Fields

T. Ross

PG

K. Lowry

J. Calderon

J. Lucas

Here at the DNB, we hold a special place in our hearts for
this depth chart.Your Toronto Raptors
certainly improved over the off-season.Unfortunately, their depth chart is one of the more difficult to
decipher.

The only sure locks for a starting spot are Andrea Bargnani
and Kyle Lowry.The rest of the line-up
is filled with rookies and uncertainties.Casey will have a difficult time managing minutes at all five positions.

Sleepers abound on this roster.DeRozan is going into a contract year so look
for him to put up shots and this should raise his usage rate.He also has some serious competition for the
starting spot for the first time in his career.This is a make or break season for DeMar and he could be a great mid
round gamble that could pay off.

Calderon’s efficiency should be considered when looking for
a late round option at guard.His FT% is
high and turnovers are low.He may slip
far down the draft due to Lowry being in town but he should still get
significant minutes as a leader on this team.

If the playoffs are out of the picture come mid-season,
Valenciunas will see plenty of minutes.You may want to pick him up and stash him away for the chance to utilize
the rookie.

The frontcourt is too crowded for Ed Davis at this
point.It would be easy to assume that
Colangelo will trade either Davis or Amir Johnson this season.Both players seem to create redundancy.Davis has never really had a chance on this
roster.This may be a make or break
training camp to getting some minutes.Look
at what is coming out of camp to see which one of Amir or Ed will be getting the
most minutes in the rotation.But
frankly, both are risky picks due to the competition and future direction of
the team.

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